Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ)

(noun)

This strip of land separates North Korea and South Korea. It was created as part of the Korean Armistice Agreement between North Korean, People's Republic of China, and United Nations Command forces in 1953.

Related Terms

Examples of Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) in the following topics:

  • The Armistice

    • An armistice ceasefire in 1953 ended fighting in Korea and established a buffer zone between North and South Korea, but tensions remain.
    • It was agreed that a buffer zone, called the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) would be built between North and South Korea, running from the north-east of the 38th parallel to the south-west.
    • Sporadic outbreaks of violence have killed over 500 South Korean soldiers, 50 US soldiers and 250 soldiers from DPRK along the DMZ between 1953 and 1999.
    • A portion of the North Korean DMZ seen from the Joint Security Area in January 1976.
    • A map of the Demilitarized Zone, established by the 1953 armistice agreement that ended the Korean War.

  • The Military Implementation of Containment

    • The Korean War was the first militarized instance of containment, as U.S. and South Korea fought against communist North Korea.
    • The North Koreans have invaded South Korea."
    • When the United Nations Security Council voted to aid South Korea in stopping North Korean aggression, the United States agreed to send troops to the Korean Peninsula.
    • The agreement restored the border between the Koreas near the 38th Parallel and created the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a 2.5-mile-wide fortified buffer zone between the two Korean nations.
    • Chinese forces crossed the Yalu River and joined the Korean War.

  • The Korean War

    • The Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950.
    • On the North Korean side, Joseph Stalin "planned, prepared, and initiated" the invasion, creating "detailed [war] plans" that were communicated to the North Koreans.
    • The agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone to separate North and South Korea, and allowed the return of prisoners.
    • Postwar, about 100,000 North Koreans were executed in purges.
    • Describe the progression of the Korean War and the cost to human life and general resources